I know most of us have calls that we rely on most of the time. My question is how many different calls do you try at each location you call from? I have a favorite box call that I use most of the time but am I missing out by not calling with a couple of different sounding calls at each calling spot. I'm a run-and-gun turkey hunter - normally no field turkeys where I hunt. :cowboy:
I call with a hot hen slate, or a glass call, the next stop I will try a box, or a wing bone. I walk with a mouth call in but do not call alot on it, but have it in if one gobbles close to me while walking. Most of the time, if I can not get a gobbler to gobble at my slate or glass I can't get a gobbler to gobble anything else. Not alwawy but most of the time. :OGturkeyhead:
I always start off softer with a slate, I usually wait quite a while before I switch.. might try a different slate.. wait awhile... then I might crank it up a little more with a glass or aluminum .. If I still don't hear anything after awhile a box call comes out to really crank things up and reach out a little further... I know I carry {tomanyturkeycalls} in my vest but in a day of hunting you just never know what sound he will like...
Typically, i like to give atleast two opposite sounds, i.e. High and clear and coarse and raspy. Might be a glass pot or a box, followed by a raspy diaphragm, but generally those two ends of the sound spectrum satisfy me that if a bird is nearby and receptive, he would respond to one of those two sound extremes.
Quote from: jakebird on April 17, 2012, 07:52:29 PM
Typically, i like to give atleast two opposite sounds, i.e. High and clear and coarse and raspy. Might be a glass pot or a box, followed by a raspy diaphragm, but generally those two ends of the sound spectrum satisfy me that if a bird is nearby and receptive, he would respond to one of those two sound extremes.
My tactic as well
I used to think a call or two and if no response I walked on to try again. Until I went out with a friend who said he had birds the day before. So here we are walking a logging rd we get to his first calling spot he does a few scratches on a slate,nothing, fumbles around his vest for a new striker,nothing this goes on for multiple calls and multiple strikers while I'm thinking to myself what is he doing. After about the fifth combo bam he gets an answer. So now who knows what they want was he there all along and we haddnt hit a note he liked or was it coincidence he walked into range. This whole ordeal was only over a minute or two. Go figure.
Quote from: mikejd on April 18, 2012, 09:22:31 AM
I used to think a call or two and if no response I walked on to try again. Until I went out with a friend who said he had birds the day before. So here we are walking a logging rd we get to his first calling spot he does a few scratches on a slate,nothing, fumbles around his vest for a new striker,nothing this goes on for multiple calls and multiple strikers while I'm thinking to myself what is he doing. After about the fifth combo bam he gets an answer. So now who knows what they want was he there all along and we haddnt hit a note he liked or was it coincidence he walked into range. This whole ordeal was only over a minute or two. Go figure.
I have done this way too many times to ignore. If you can make yourself believe there is a turkey in hearing range, and i just have to find what he wants to hear, you will locate a ton more birds.
Drenalin, I have to believe that you are right and I may have limited myself. Lord knows I have the calls. I just believed if he was there a call or two was enough. I only carried you know my calls with how should I say the best mojo. But now its a packed bag for me.
I am guilty of only trying a call or two and moving on. Many times I will walk or drive to an area, make a couple locator calls and follow up with a couple different turkey calls. If I don't get a response I keep walking or drive to a new location. I find birds this way, but I guarantee I drive/walk away from a ton as well. My success ratio goes up a lot for locating gobblers if I slow down a lot. Whether I walk or drive to a new area, i do much better to listen first for five or ten minutes. Many times they gobble on their own and that is the absolute best way to locate one. After listening for a while, start with the locator calls. I have the most luck with a crow call and making very exxagerated, aggressive ca-aws rolling my throat on the end of the note to make it more aggressive. This gets more responses as well as aggravates any crows in ear shot getting them fired up which may get that gobbler to sound off. Sometimes I try a goose or woodpecker call. I will let it settle down before making a turkey call. I always start with soft stuff and build intensity. I normally try 2 or three different calls, but the more I try the more success I have.
I've always got 2 mouth calls in and I work 1-3 friction calls with various strikers. Have a box call for variety, too.
I'll usally start soft w/ a Sneed "Hot Hen" or a Terminator or a 2001 Sneed slate.....I'll wait a bit and see, if they like a Billie Bush paddle call w/ some Gulvas mouth calling mixed in......
If I know for sure gobblers are in the area.....My patience level goes wayyyyyyyyyyyy up in my time for staying at one set up....